Nobody really needs to be reminded what this country lost on this date in 2001. Today marks the 12th anniversary of a moment that no American adult will be able to forget in their right state of mind. And that has always been the point of the Remember 9/11 slogan that has become synonymous with the day.
The Orange County Fire Authority marks the date each year, with a time of remembrance each September 11. Much more than a moment, the entire OCFA coordinates through radio communication, a time of attention and silence, from 8:46 to 9:10 a.m.
Station 2 here in Los Alamitos and Station 17 in Cypress will also be observing the remembrance and if you are not busy at that time, the public is always welcome to stop by the stations and stand in silence with the firefighters.
While there were thousands of civilians lost in the 9/11 attacks, there is a particular debt of gratitude to those who ran into the buildings and chaos to try and battle the flames and save lives. Lost that day were:
• 343 fallen members of FDNY
• 23 fallen members of NYPD
• 37 fallen members of the NY Port Authority Police
News Enterprise editor Ted Apodaca will be at Station 2 again this morning and would also invite members of the community to come and stand with our local (though small) members of the OCFA, as they recognize their fallen comrades.